After months of lobbying from the Moldovan government, enlisting the support of Ukraine and Romania, the EU and the US will join the next round of talks - which are to take place on 27-28 November in Chisinau and Tiraspol - as observers.

During a meeting in Odessa this week the representatives from Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Transdniestria and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe agreed to invite the EU and US to join the talks, breaking almost two years of deadlock. Russia had previously opposed the US and the EU taking part.

The Moldovan authorities hope the move will increase pressure on Russia and the Transdniestrian authorities to reach a settlement to the 'frozen conflict' which has ensued since Transdniestria declared independence in 1990.

The Russian-speaking region is home to more than 1,000 Russian troops who have been stationed there since July 1992, Moscow claims as peacekeepers.

EU ambassadors agreed on Wednesday (28 September) to send a mission to monitor the border between Moldova and Ukraine, a major smuggling route and source of funds for the Transdniestrian authorities.

The mission is expected to be launched on 1 December and include 50 border guards and customs officials who will form mobile units dispatched along the entire length of the border.

She also pressed the EU to launch a full-scale mission. "I should very much like to see these monitors form the nucleus of a full ESDP [European Security and Defence Policy] mission in the future," she said.

"The existence of this running sore should not be tolerated in a country that is likely to be a neighbour of the EU after Romania's accession in 2007."

The agreement now has to be approved by EU foreign ministers.

Following the re-election of President Vladimir Voronin earlier this year, Moldova has stepped up its efforts to integrate with the EU.

During a meeting this week Voronin and his Romanian counterpart Traian Basescu pledged to work together to deepen ties between the EU and Moldova. The two countries have strong linguistic and cultural ties.

Moldova has also been trying to increase ties with the member states which recently joined the EU, this week opening an embassy in Riga, Latvia.